Book Review: A Gospel Primer

A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent was written because the gospel is “of first importance” (1 Cor 15:3) and the book “is offered as a handy guide to help Christians experience the gospel more fully by preaching it to themselves each day” (p. 5). And I was helped indeed after reading this book.

The Christian reader may be familiar with the content within the book, but it is nonetheless able to take the reader’s heart and utterly overwhelm it. The content of these pages is not meant to be learned once, and then set aside to move on to learning other things. As Vincent aims to point out, you need these truths daily, to be reminded of them, to rehearse them, to memorize them, to rest in them…

The book is divided into four parts:
Part I Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily
Part II A Gospel Narrative – Prose Version
Part III A Gospel Narrative – Poetic Version
Part IV Surprised by the Gospel

Part I contains 31 reasons to rehearse the gospel everyday. Parts II and III contain A Gospel Narrative in prose and poetic form, expressing the same truths contained in part I. Milton writes that parts II and III “are written in a way that facilitates memorization and smooth recital of the gospel” (p. 7). Something I also liked is that everything in parts I-III is in the first person singular, “for all that is said in these sections is your testimony if you are a believer in Jesus,” writes Vincent (p. 7).

Part IV contains part of Vincent’s testimony. This really, really encouraging testimony is shared in such a humble manner. Vincent shares his experience in laboring to accept and rest in his justified status before God. If you’ve shared in this struggle, I hope you will be so encouraged.

One thing I also wanted to mention about the book is how Bible-saturated it is. As each truth is rooted in the authority of Scripture, each page contains as footnotes the Bible verses that support the truths within the page. Some pages are even more than half filled with Scripture. That was really cool.

I should also mention that while reading the book, I remember thinking that I can’t believe how many markings I’m making on its pages! So it’s difficult to go back and pick a few beloved quotes to share with you here, as there are so many, but I’ll do my best.

“The deeper I go into the gospel, the more I comprehend and confess aloud the depth of my sinfulness. A gruesome death like the one that Christ endured for me would only be required for one who is exceedingly sinful and unable to appease a holy God. Consequently, whenever I consider the necessity and manner of His death, along with the love and selflessness behind it, I am laid bare and utterly exposed for the sinner I am.
Such an awareness of my sinfulness does not drag me down, but actually serves to lift me up by magnifying my appreciation of God’s forgiving grace in my life. And the more I appreciate the magnitude of God’s forgiveness of my sins, the more I love Him and delight to show Him love through heart-felt expressions of worship” (p. 33).

“The more I embrace the saving work of God on my behalf, the more I find myself embracing the works for which God saved me.” (p. 37)

“The more I experience the life-transforming power of the gospel, the more confident I am in speaking it to others, both saved and lost. I know what the gospel can do in people’s lives if they would believe the fullness of it, because I see what it is doing in me and in others. Therefore, I have increasing boldness to speak the whole gospel to others, even amid opposition.” (p. 51)

“When my timid heart questions why God would want to love one so sinful as I, I read the answer, ‘to the praise of the glory of His grace.’ I figure, then, that my unworthiness must actually be useful to God, because it magnifies the degree to which His grace might be glorified as He lavishes His saving kindness upon me. This line of reasoning makes perfect sense to me and convinces me to embrace the gospel with greater passion so that God might glorify Himself through me, an unworthy sinner.” (p. 54)

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” 1 Cor. 15:1-4

~ by nve on June 4, 2008.